hotmtlnovel Chapter 58: The Dowry Scandal and the Mystery of the Son-in-Law's Marriage
Chapter 58: The Dowry Scandal and the Mystery of the Son-in-Law's Marriage
One should not speak while eating or sleeping. A warm and cozy breakfast ended in silence.
Afterwards, Yu Chen and Gu Yue arrived hand in hand at the magnificent main gate of the castle. Di Tian was already there, standing tall and waiting like a dutiful butler, his black robes motionless in the morning breeze.
"Uncle Tian, thank you for your trouble."
Gu Yue's voice carried a subtle sweetness as she spoke to Di Tian.
Yu Chen stood beside her and nodded to this unfathomable "elder".
"This is my duty, young master."
Di Tian remained serious and responded meticulously.
However, when he turned around and, with a wave of his hand, drew that familiar spatial vortex flowing with deep starlight in the void, the sculpted, cold profile of his face seemed to soften for a fleeting moment, and the corners of his mouth curved upwards by five pixels.
After passing through the spatial passage and experiencing a familiar slight dizziness, the three figures quietly appeared in a secluded and deserted alley near Donghai Academy.
The morning sunlight slanted into the alleyway, bringing with it the scent of the world.
"Phew... I'm back."
Yu Chen took a deep breath of the air, which was tinged with a light morning mist, and looked at the familiar outline of the academy in the distance. A feeling of being in another world welled up in his heart.
In just one day, from the ultimate showdown in the promotion tournament to the earth-shattering waves in the Soul Beast Secret Realm, and then to the rampage and fusion deep within the bloodlines...
The upheaval and shock he experienced that day were more intense than the sum of his knowledge over the past decade or so.
"This subordinate shall take his leave now."
Di Tian didn't say much. He bowed slightly and his figure retreated into the still-open spatial vortex, disappearing silently into the air along with the passage, as if it had never existed.
"Moon, let's go."
Yu Chen naturally reached out and took Gu Yue's cool, soft hand in his again. The girl's fingers were slender and quietly curled in his palm.
"Wait a minute!" Gu Yue grabbed Yu Chen's hand, stopping him from moving forward. Then, a white light appeared on her body, and her face returned to its usual pretty appearance.
"Alright, let's go. Otherwise, we'll run into trouble if we see Tang Wulin and the others looking like that."
Yu Chen was stunned for a moment, but didn't ask any further questions.
Then the two smiled at each other and walked side by side toward the academy gate, facing the rising sun and the slightly cool morning breeze.
As soon as I entered the academy, before even reaching the teaching building, I saw that familiar, aloof figure on the open training field.
Dressed in white, Wu Changkong stood with his hands behind his back, supervising the first-year students as they underwent basic physical training. Sweat glistened on the foreheads of the boys and girls, and the sounds of panting and footsteps filled the air.
Yu Chen and Gu Yue exchanged a glance and walked straight over.
Wu Changkong noticed the two approaching and glanced over. His dark green eyes lingered on Yu Chen for a moment, as if a barely perceptible hint of inquiry flashed across them. He then nodded to Gu Yue, signaling her to return to the group.
Gu Yue understood, released Yu Chen's hand, and jogged to join the training group.
She plays an ordinary Soul Master, whose physical fitness is indeed a weakness, unlike Yu Chen, who is a "monster" and has been tacitly exempted from regular physical training by Wu Changkong.
Yu Chen walked to the sidelines and watched quietly before beginning to receive Wu Changkong's soul pressure training.
However, during his breaks from training, his gaze mostly followed that agile black-haired figure, watching her run and jump according to commands, her black pleated skirt fluttering and falling, her legs wrapped in sheer black stockings drawing vibrant lines in the morning light.
The morning's physical training quickly came to an end with Wu Changkong's cold commands.
"Dismissed." With these two simple words, the trainees felt as if they had been granted a pardon and dispersed in twos and threes.
"Brother Chen, what happened to you yesterday...?"
As soon as the training ended, Tang Wulin, who had many questions on his mind, immediately came over. Before he could even open his mouth, Xie Xie, who jumped out from the side, interrupted him.
"Hehe, Brother Chen!"
Xie Xie winked and gave Yu Chen and Gu Yue, who was walking back, a mischievous look on his face.
"Did you and Gu Yue do something special yesterday...? Hehe, why do I feel like the atmosphere between you two today is a bit different? All sticky!"
He deliberately dragged out his words, his eyes burning with gossip.
Faced with Xie Xie's teasing, Gu Yue was not embarrassed or annoyed at all. Instead, the corners of her lips curved slightly, revealing a forced smile, and a cunning glint flashed in her dark eyes:
"Little Xie, you know quite a lot. How do you know Chen is my boyfriend now?"
"Huh?!" Xie Xie's playful smile froze instantly. His eyes widened, and he instinctively turned to Yu Chen for confirmation. "Brother Chen? You guys...really?!"
Seeing Xie Xie's shocked expression, Yu Chen found it somewhat amusing and, following Gu Yue's lead, dropped another bombshell in an extremely calm and natural tone:
"Yes. And I have already accepted the betrothal gifts from Elder Gu Yue."
"What?! A betrothal gift!"
Xie Xie's voice rose an octave, his eyes almost bulging out of their sockets.
"You two have already reached the point of discussing marriage?! No! Wait a minute!"
He suddenly realized something and seized on a crucial point: "What do you mean you accepted the betrothal gifts from Elder Gu Yue? This process isn't right!"
He was initially confused, then seemed to have figured something out, and a look of sudden realization appeared on his face. Immediately afterwards, his expression turned into extreme disbelief. The dramatic changes in his expression left Tang Wulin, who was standing to the side, dumbfounded.
"Chen, Brother Chen! You! You've been kept by a rich woman?! You've married into her family?!"
Xie Xie pointed at Yu Chen, his fingers trembling, as if he had discovered some earth-shattering secret, his pupils dilating wildly.
"cough."
Gu Yue coughed lightly and stepped in to smooth things over. Although she liked to tease Xie Xie, she also knew that in human society, "marrying into another's family" was not something to be proud of for the man. It was fine to treat it as a romantic gesture between lovers in private, but she did not want Yu Chen to be looked down upon by others because of it.
"What do you mean by 'marrying into another'? That's just a joke."
However, upon hearing Gu Yue's words of defense, Yu Chen's playful side was aroused. He deliberately put on a "let down" expression, grabbed Gu Yue's hand, and spoke with a hint of accusation:
"Moon, do you intend to start something and then abandon it? We've already done *that* (referring to the soul contract)!"
As expected, upon hearing this, Xie Xie immediately jumped back like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. A golden light flashed in his hand, and he summoned the Light Dragon Dagger, pointing it at Gu Yue. He shouted in a theatrical tone:
"Hey! You vixen! Where did this vixen come from, daring to bewitch my brother Chen! Show yourself at once!"
Xie Xie's dramatic performance silenced Tang Wulin, infuriated Gu Yue, and almost made Yu Chen burst out laughing.
"Duang! Duang!"
Two crisp tapping sounds rang out, accompanied by Xie Xie's cry of pain. Gu Yue folded her small fist, which she had somehow clenched, and blew on it expressionlessly, feeling a sense of relief.
"Alright, Chen, ignore this drama queen." Gu Yue took Yu Chen's hand and looked towards the teaching building. "Teacher Wu is still waiting for us."